From the diaries of Nikki Heat
by sharpe26
Summary: Kate leaves the NYPD. Castle gets her a new job.Rest of the cast may show up on the epilogue. I got my idea from cast photos. Beckett has a certain pose, so who knows what will hapen next fall... oh yeah, don't forget to click that button.
1. Chapter 1

From the diaries of Nikky Heat

It was the announcement he had been dreading and the phone call he had been fearing. Detective Kate Beckett had resigned.

With Roy Montgomery leaving to a higher command in the NYPD, due in no small part to Beckett and Castles rather astonishing success rate, the 12th got a new captain in the form of Jim Vaughn. Things spiraled downhill big time.

Oh, cases did still get solved, perps but behind bars and the other assorted stuff cops do still got done, but the 12th changed. The rumor will reached Esposito and Ryan's ears soon enough, along with the faces that were replaced by transfers or otherwise. Beckett saw it too and even heard it as Vaughn, in all his overweight corpulent form referred to her team as a prima donna team.

Even Castle found it worrying and in a conversation with the mayor and Montgomery, who both kept coming to Castle's poker nights, alluded that he believed the 12th was in trouble.

Two days after that conversation at the poker game Vaughn threatened to fire Kate Beckett if she stepped out of line once again. He made it clear to her that one screw up would be enough. That night, Kate Beckett cried in the arms of one Richard Castle, rich and famous novelist and sometime consultant to the NYPD. Castle, now finally her boyfriend, did his best to console her.

The very next day, Alexis brought him news of an officer involved shooting. Half an hour later, Kate called to tell him she was okay. Near dinner time _that_ call came.

He told her he'd meet her at Remy's, at their boot. She was there when he came.

"So what happened?" Kate seemed on the verge of tears. " I couldn't take it anymore, I'm or rather I was a detective and I was good at my job." The tears stayed away, the anger returned. Castle smiled an apologizing smile.

" Whatever happens, I'm there for you." She smiled back " Thanks, wouldn't want anything else."

Castle made another face " Speaking of anything else, want me to help look?" Beckett knew Castle could pull strings and probably get her on the FBI or even back with the NYPD in another capacity.

Oh how she wanted that, how she needed that even, Kate Beckett heard herself say something entirely different " No, I'd rather do this myself." He nodded that he understood, but Castle insisted paying for the lunch.

Four weeks later, Kate Beckett felt sorry for herself. She couldn't get a job anywhere within the city of New York, no matter how or what she tried. It sent her sulking.

And somehow Castle, was worried. A return of KB to her old ways, impossible! Esspecially for him.

When Castle worried, he made phone calls. Those phone calls formed a plan.

A plan he put into action three weeks later, when he took a still sulking Kate Beckett out to lunch.

Again at their favorite place Beckett could only wonder what was going on. There was a job open with a private investigator that had heard about her and was grovelling at her feet to sign her up.

She wasn't sure about the offer though as it would seem Demming moonlighted for him every now and then. In fact, she wasn't really sure about anything anymore and, she was going to tell Castle just that.

It could wait though, as for some reason Castle's agent and Castle's publisher were sharing the booth they were heading for

It got him her most annoyed look, as she hadn't forgotten that ex wife number two was the one that spent the summer in the Hamptons with him. She had forgiven him the transgression though.

" Castle, what's your agent doing here with that, 'Leech'?

A question from him was her response " You know what happens with leeches when they're full?" The annoyed look got a little worse " I'll shut up now."

pollite greetings were exchanged as all four people took their places.

" I brought what you asked, Ricky, but I don't see the use of it yet." Paula commented as she found her bag and took a writing pad along with another folder from it.

Castle took the pad and along with a pen handed it to Beckett " I'm not gonna take notes at a business meeting, Castle." to Beckett her surprise Gina shared the sentiment.

" Yeah Rick, What did you bring us here for?"

" To ask a question." Beckett began blushing but the way he was looking at Gina indicated that that thing wasn't going to happen here. Paula roled her eyes " Ask away already."

" It's simple, what did Nikki Heat do before she met Jameson Rook?"

Gina frowned, Paula was dumbstruck and Beckett wrote on her pad, taking very little time to eat as the others were served. In her usual hard working style she penned three and a half pages before Castle made her stop to get some food in her.

He eyed her scribblings first, taking the time to write in a little something of his own above it before handing it to Paula, who began reading it.

The more she read, the more Paula her smile grew. In that gentle way of pushing Castle was also known for he responded " Did you see what I wrote above it."

Paula didn't responded and began rummaging through that older folder she had with her. Gina then took the pad and started reading. She skipped half of each page and nodded and smiled, be it a little less then Paula.

" Do you think she can do it?" Castle watched as Gina crossed her arms.

" I based Nikky Heat on her, she the only one who can." Castle answered. He knew Gina wouldn't give in that easily and added that " He would personally aide her, to the best of his abilities."

" That's what I'm afraid of."

Kate chose then to chime in as she wasn't really sure about what was going on around her " Hello, still here, subject of discussion and all that." Gina took Kate her verbal outburst as the moment to get a bit of control back.

" Do you think you can really write ' _from the diaries of Nikki Heat? _´

Kate now looked at her boyfriend " Your footsteps, hey?"

Castle wasn´t sure wheter he should smile or run for the hills and dig in as deep as he could. " That´s all up to you, but your sulking and moping around, Kate. That´s not who you are. I figured this would turn those energies and experiences of all those years of being a cop into something that the world can relate to, and that´s better payback then that harassment lawsuit the PBA filed on your behalf"

Kate stared off into the distance. Thoughts on a lot of things running through her mind like Niagara Falls. In the end though, there was only one thing that mattered. She turned to the waiting onlookers and told them she had made a decision.


	2. Chapter 2

Two years later,

His wife had wanted him to stop by a book store and pick up a copy of the Nikki Heat diaries, Jim Vaughn had just wanted to go home and watch a Yankees game. His wife won the argument and Jim Vaughn found himself in a bookstore near the precinct.

And at the end of a very very long que of people.

A passing shop attendant caught his eye " Excuse me, miss, what's going on here?"

A curious glance from the attendant caught the badge on his belt " Well officer, we've got Nikki Heat in the store, signing books. Last time she was here people waited for three hours." \

the attendant went off to do her thing as Vaughn figured that his wife would be impressed if he got the book signed as a surprise. Just before she went out of his eyesight Vaughn caught her starting to chuckle.

Remarkably the queue he was in was suddenly starting to move ahead a little faster, within minutes, Jim Vaughn found himself within audible range of the table where 'Nikki' was signing. As one of the women still up front thanked her, Vaughn for a brief moment thought he recognized the voice.

He dismissed it nearly instantly, it couldn't be her.

Not five minutes after that, Jim Vaughn found out how wrong he was. It was her!

At the table signing books, sat none other then Kate Beckett, or was it Kate Castle now? Vaughn didn't really bother reading the tabloids, but did recall that he fired Beckett not that very long ago.

" Ms Beckett."

" Captain Vaughn."

" We seem to remember each other quite well, miss Beckett." Vaughn tried to smile but didn't succeed. Kate didn't respond either.

" It's not easy to forget the man that made you give up a calling."

" Oh is that what is was? A calling? The 12th is a real precinct now that you and the prima donna's have gone." He sneered. Off to the side, behind one of the stands, Richard Castle was silently eyeing his wife.

" What do you want Vaughn?" Kate turned to ice.

" I was hoping you'd sign this for my wife."

Kate didn't smile but did pick up a pen and wrote a few choice words on the front of one of the books. She handed it to him with a rather fake smile and ignored him further as he left.

" You okay?" Castle had closed the distance to his wife.

Kate exhaled deeply as she felt her husband's physical presence nearby. Then she gave him her sternest look, that look, that she would save for perps that got caught during their freaky cases

"Was it something I said?"

" That was the guy that got me fired from the department." Castle looked up to see if Vaughn was still around but didn't spot him.

"So it wasn't something I said." she rewarded him with the eye roll he liked so much. " It's just that, seeing him here, I feel a little uneasy about it."

Castle said nothing at first. But as he read his wife her eyes, he pulled her close and hugged her.

" I'm proud of you."

" Don't be, I considered shooting him. But that would be messy, and I'd really like to be home for some peace and quiet after this."

Their brief hug got interupted by Esposito, now bodyguard of the Castles. After getting shot and thus unfortunately being the cause for Beckett's 'forced' resignation, he healed with more then a little help from a certain ME that threatened to smack him if he didn't do his exercises and take his pain meds on time. Later the NYPD's physical board determined that the detective had to take a medical pension due to the fact that some of his injuries would never heal.

Feeling he needed additional security in both his and his now wife her life, Castle made him a job offer 5 minutes later. It worked out surprisingly well, even Mrs R, who still spend time at the loft, felt better.

Half a year into his new job, Esposito proposed to Lanie, who gladly accepted as it kept her close to Kate and her 'writer boy'.

" Do you guys need a moment, again?" This came from Ryan, still with the NYPD, who was now standing behind them as well.

" And does that include me as well?" Came the voice of Roy Montgomery. Kate smiled a joyous smile as all her friends had all assembled in the bookstore. " Since this was your final stop, I figured a small get together would be nice." Esposito explained as he hugged his longtime partner Ryan.

" You're forgiven." Kate answered while hugging first Lanie then Ryan. When it was her former boss's turn, she found him missing.

While Kate was busy welcoming her friends, Castle and Montgomery had exchanged a few brief glances. Glances which caused them both to have a little private talk away from the gathering. And it was a private talk Montgomery didn't want Kate to find out about.

After a " Glad to see that you're both doing okay. " Roy Montgomery left. He had work to do.

The following morning both Kate and Rick slept in late and had turned their phones off before going to bed.

Both regretted that action about halfway through their breakfast. The volume of messages was quite staggering. Within 5 minutes however all that slipped to the wayside. Both of them had a message from Montgomery, asking them to meet him at the 12th precinct for lunch.

There were quite a number of people there, busy working as usual Castle and Beckett noticed as they came in through the ever familiar elevator. There were a lot of old faces there but even more new ones.

Castle had a sudden inclination to check the break room and see if the espresso machine was still there. It took him a mere 5 seconds to see that yes, it was all indeed still there.

Kate gave her hubby a quick stare as he entered the office where Montgomery was waiting fashionably late. Roy Montgomery and Police commissioner Edwards did the same. " You're late."

The two men got the same sheepish grin Beckett got when Castle had pulled a stupid stunt which he still did with decreasing regularity " Sorry." Castle then took a seat next to his wife.

" I'll be frank." Edwards began " The NYPD lost a good detective in you, Mrs Castle." the commissioner's remarks caused more then a few frowns with both of the Castles. What was this all about? " And sometimes the NYPD makes mistakes, especially with your dismissal. We'd like to make amends for that."

Castle couldn't believe his ears but butted in anyway " Amends, how?"

The commissioner smiled " Reinstatement along with a promotion to Lieutenant." Roy Montgomery had to smile. The Castles tended to surprise people. Now he had surprised them. It felt good.

" But that ain't all we have in mind." Castle, still obsessed with his little black book wherein he was jotting stuff down at an unseen rate didn't notice that remark until Kate slapped him on the knee " Pay attention, this one's about you." She pulled the little black book away from him.

" In the reports that have passed my desk on the actions of Detective Beckett you get more then an occasional mention, Mr Castle."

" It's all about the story, that's how this works. Or rather, I work." Castle sheepishly admitted as he noticed his wife glaring at him again.

" Yes well, the only thing that matters is that you get results along with Detective Beckett. And I were to break up that winning combination I'd be really dumb. Therefore, I'm doing the exact opposite. Mr Castle, I'm offering you a position with the NYPD." the Commissioner coughed briefly " However your results Mr Castle, much more will be asked of you. The basic premise is that you will be asked to set an example, especially since you will be under the command of your wife."

Castle watched his wife cast a predatory glare in his direction and shuddered and it also seemed as if Kate was shuddering too. This was not good. The shudders kept going.

" what would my position be then?" It seemed the polite thing to ask to the commissioner.

" Remember what I said about being under your wife her command?" Castle nodded " Since you're still a well known and respected author, Mr Castle, we shouldn't upset the literary world too much by offering you a fulltime position and rank much like your wife would have. Therefore we won't do that."

The commissioner shuffled a few papers across the desk and took one apart. " Tell me Mr Castle , what do you know about the Auxiliary force of the NYPD?"

" Nothing much. They're the officers who guard some of the PD parking lots and stuff like that." he answered

" A vitally important task, but since we'd waste your talents there, we won't go as far as that." Edwards now handed him the file that contained his offer.

Castle, finished it in under a minute.

" Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Kate yanked the file from him as he answered the commissioner. " Hey!"

Kate Beckett or now Kate Castle wasn't as quick a read as her husband, but she still got through the same document nearly as quick.

The death glare returned again, startling Castle.

" I can't pick this one for you, but know this, if you get hurt I'm going to shoot you."

Roy Montgomery smiled. That was the dynamic duo he knew. " I need to spring something else on you two." Two frowns were exchanged " I'm heading back to the 12th."

" What gives?" This came from Kate

" I relieved Captain Vaughn of his command today. Quite frankly being a deputy chief sucks." All of them frowned at Montgomery's comments " Sorry Chief, but I'd rather have a precinct. The day to day results look a little better from the captain's desk then the Chief's desk."

Edwards nodded " Sad to see you go, Roy. But, the 12th should be good in your hands."

" Thank you sir. Especially with these two there."

Both Castles eyed each other. Where they really ready for this after all that happened...

fin


End file.
